Painting Mobile Home Fiberboard T-11 Siding ?

[Ryan]

We have this mobile home that hasn't been painted in 11 years. The siding
looks like the T-11 siding, but is made out of fiber board stuff. I have to
fix the nail holes that are bleeding though.

I was wondering if there is a paint that is better for this type of siding?
Maybe a thicker paint to hide things?
Ryan

[HerHusband]

Ryan,

We had to repaint our 1989 Redmann mobile home about 2-3 years after we
bought it new. I'm not sure what kind of paint they used, but it was very
thin and didn't last long.

Like you, our mobile has the fiberboard type of T-111. It really absorbs
moisture in the winter time, and with no apparent expansion gaps the side
of the mobile home looked all "wavy" as the sheets expanded and buckled up.
But, it all straightened out again in the summer.

Anyway, I had to replace the wide trim board along the bottom of our
siding. It was the fiberboard stuff too and had rotted out after just a few
years. I replaced it with 8" wide strips of fiber-cement siding boards
(Hardisiding). That stuff will last forever. Then I ran around the house
and caulked along the top of the bottom trim, around windows, screw holes,
etc. Then I just applied a mid-priced exterior latex paint.

It has been about 7-8 years or so since we painted and it still looks
great. I go back around every couple of years or so and recaulk any areas
that have opened up. And, the better coat of paint seems to have really
reduced the "wavy" siding we would get in the winter time.

Anthony